Peter keffer



@Witch tutrs strnt @ffice PETER Karren, or READING, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNon To HiMsELF, WILLIAMV LEVAN, AND ISAAC W. LEVAN, 0F SAME PLAGE.

Y Lena-s Baten: No, 75,684, dared March 17, 186s.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES/FOB, STItEIGHING HAT-BODIES. v

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i I v TO ALL WHOM IT MAYCONCERN:

Be' it known that I, PETER KEFFER, of Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved Machine for Stretching Hat-Bodies;` und I do hereby v:declare the following to he a'ull, clear, and exact descrip- Ation of the same. l Y v y j p invention consists of a. machine, fully described hereafter,'for stretching the `conical capsof felte material of which habbodies are made, 4previous to forming them upon the proper blocks.

In order to enable-others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construtionand operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in whichy Figure I is a side elevation of my improved machine for stretching hat-bodies.

Figure 2, the same, showing the working parts in u dierent position;

' Figure 3, s. detached view, partly in section, and

Figure 4,5. sectional plan view onV the line 1 2, iig. 2.

`.A yis the buse-,plate of the" machine, to which issecured a. frame, B. A vertical rod, C, slides in and is p guided by a, bracket, a, 'secured' to this frame, an'd'is-operatedl by a lever or 4treadl'e'l),hung to a, standard, ,onf the h:n.sevfplatele,l and lconnectcd tothe said rod by a lnk,f. A sleeve, E, is arranged to'slidc. on the rod C, hut-is prevented.` from turning by a feather, h, and a spiral spring, t', which rests upon a. collar, j, of the rod, bears against the under sideof the sleeve, and has a constant tendency to elevate the latter. Thesleeve E has any convenient number of radiating arms, k, (there being six in the present instance,) to the outer end of each ot'y which is jointed an arm, l, rounded at the top, and otherwise shaped in the peculiar manner shown in the drawing.` When the parts are in jthe position shown in iig. l, the sleeve rests upon a stationary disk, c, which forms a part of the frame, and through which the rod C passes. The arms Z are hound together bye. gum-elastic l o1' other equivalent spring, m, which causes them to bear against the cone-shaped head, F, of the rod C, the` said head'heing recessed for their reception, as shown in iiv. 4, and the upper ends of the arms, when thus bound together, A:1re nearly in contact with each other, as' shown in 5g. 1.

On the upper cnd ofy the frame of the machine is formed a bracket, p, to the under side of which, directly above the rod C, is bolted, or otherwise secured, a pendent frame, G, composedof curved arms, g, equal in num ber tot-lie arms Z of the sleeve E, and so placed in respect to the latter, that each of the said arms shall pass between two of the arms lof the sleeve, when the latter is elevated, as shown in fig. 4.

The usualv plan of stretching felted hat-bodies upon the forming-blocks by hand, is an operation requiring tedious manipulation onthe part oi` 4 the workman, but by the employment of the above-described machine, the operation ci which I will now proceed to describe, the hat-bodies may he quickly and thoroughly stretched,

i previous/co beingfformed upon lthe proper blocks.

The hat-body, consisting of a conical cap of feltcd material, is placed over the arms l of the sleeve E, as shown by red lines x, iig., 1, the arms, when drawn towards each other by their spring fm, forming, together, a tapering frame, adapted to the shape of the hat-body. The attendant nowoperates the lever D with his foot, and thus raises the rod C and its sleeve, until the upward motion of the letter is arrested by its arms lK coming in contact with the under side of the frame G, (iig. The rod C, however, still continues to rise, compressing the spring z', and the conc-,shaped head Fot'the rod, in rising, forces each oi the arms Z of the slee've outwards, 'and with xthem the hatbody,which is forced against the stationary arms g ofthe pendent frame, and thus thor# oughlystrctchved, as shown by the red linesx, Eg. 4, O n lowering the rod C, the sleeve E will, by the action of the spring Iz', remain stationary yuntil the conical head F has been suiiiciently depressed to allow the spring m to draw the arms lof the sleeve together to their original position. The sleeve will then descend with the rod, until itagain rests upon the disk `c, when the stretched hat-body may be readily removed, to be rreplaced by a second, which is, in turn, stretched in a similar manner, and this operationinay be repeated and continued with rapidity and regularity. I

I cla-im as my invention, and desire t3 secure by Letters Patent- The pi'voted arms Z, to which a. vertical reciprocating motion can be imparted, and which can be moved-out` wards by the action of the conical block F, or its equi'falent, in combination with the stationary pendent arms q, the said movable and stationary arms being arranged for joint action ori n hat-body, as and for the purpose Aherein set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to thisrspe'cificaton, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

' PETER KEEEER.

Witnesses'.

J. N. H. FISHER, GEORGE PRINTz. 

